The Prime Minister's Darling

The Prince of An and Miss Zhuang were settled in the most elegant courtyard of the villa. After returning to her room, Miss Zhuang locked herself in, dismissing all her maidservants who tried to comfort her.

The door was knocked.

Miss Zhuang snapped, “Get out! No one is allowed in!”

“It’s me.” The Prince of An said.

“Brother?” Miss Zhuang rose excitedly, but remembering the humiliation her brother had brought her, she sat back down, crestfallen.

“I’m coming in.” Prince An announced, and after waiting for a moment, he pushed the door open.

Miss Zhuang turned her back to him, presenting him with the back of her head.

Prince An spoke softly, “You wanted to travel with me initially, and I told you I wouldn’t spoil you like our parents did, a fact which you acknowledged.”

“I…” Miss Zhuang choked. She had not expected her brother to mean his words, thinking he would be like their parents, verbally tough, while spoiling her without any boundaries.

She sobbed, “I am your sister, and you have sided with outsiders to bully me!”

Without getting into an argument with her, Prince An stepped forward and handed her a palm-sized box.

“What?” Miss Zhuang asked, indifferent.

“Open it and you’ll see.” Prince An replied.

Miss Zhuang glanced at the box in her brother’s palm.

Her brother’s hands were finely sculpted like jade, so beautiful that even the most precious jade would pale in comparison.

Miss Zhuang sighed and took the box from him.

Inside, she found a glowing Night Light Pearl, her favorite among beautiful playthings. Her attention was immediately caught.

Prince An said, “This is a Five-Colored Night Light Pearl, a treasure of the King of Chen. I traded it for two poems.”

Hearing that it was a treasure of the King of Chen, Miss Zhuang held it even more dearly.

Her brother still doted on her!

Miss Zhuang cheered up but felt somewhat embarrassed for capitulating so quickly. Clearing her throat, she said solemnly, “You must never again side with others to bully me!”

—

After pacifying his sister, Prince An returned to his room.

A man dressed in black emerged from behind the screen, bowing respectfully. “Your Highness!”

Prince An asked, “Have all your men arrived?”

The man in black replied, “Yes, they’re hiding outside the villa, ready to take your orders at any time!”

Prince An said, “There’s no need for them to hide. They can disguise themselves as commoners.”

The man in black contemplated before asking, “Your Highness, are you sure it’s in Qingquan Town?”

Prince An pondered for a moment before replying, “His Majesty’s men lost track of the Empress Dowager in Qingquan Town, which indicates that she indeed ended up here. But we’re not sure where she ended up next. We need to look more carefully.”

Hesitant, the man in black asked, “Did the Empress Dowager… really contract leprosy?”

Prince An affirmed, “Yes.”

Frowning, the man in black mused, “The Emperor’s men have already turned the town upside down, even thoroughly searched the villages under its jurisdiction. They found no suspicious individuals. Could it be that the Empress Dowager’s chances of survival are…dim?”

Prince An said, his eyes deep and profound, “In life, we need to see the person; in death, we need to see the body. Regardless of the situation, they need to go through the search process one more time for me!”

Everyone believed that the Prince was naive and a delicate lad who only indulged in literature. But could such a vulnerable lad survive for so many years as a hostage in the State of Chen?

No one knew how much hardship the Prince had endured in Chen. He hadn’t even told his parents. However, the man dressed in black, who had accompanied the Prince and witnessed those dark years, knew better than anyone else.

He understood the Prince’s abilities better than anyone else. If the Prince put his mind to something, he would see it through to the end.

—

Embarrassed by losing the calligraphy contest to Gu Jinyu, Miss Zhuang decided not to interact with him any longer.

However, when she didn’t seek him out, he came to her.

“What are you doing here?” The next morning, Miss Zhuang eyed Gu Jinyu coldly, who had suddenly appeared in her courtyard, and asked aggressively.

Gu Jinyu smiled, “I am here to deliver a calligraphy scroll to Miss Zhuang.”

Miss Zhuang’s face changed, “You dare to mention the calligraphy scroll? Are you deliberately trying to humiliate me?”

Gu Jinyu subtly shook his head, gently smiling, “Miss Zhuang misunderstands. How could I possibly humiliate you? I looked at your calligraphy scroll yesterday and realized that the problem does not lie with you.”

Miss Zhuang became interested and arched her eyebrow, “What do you mean?”